Furniture drawer construction and method



Jam.. @32PM WE1@ a. L. www @ummm FURNITURE DRAWER CONSTRUCTION ANDMETHOD Filed June ll, 1946 Syvum/VLM" @www Patented Jan. 31, 1950 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE' Paul L. Von Canon, West End, N. C.

Application June 11,

3 Claims.

My invention has for its object to improve the method of construction ofwooden drawers for furniture which simplifies the processes involved inthe manufacture of the several pieces required, aids in their subsequentassembly and adds to the strength of the completed structure.

Another object of my invention is to provide a furniture drawer in whichthe side pieces of the frame may be secured to the front piece by arelative rotary movement thereon and simultaneously secured by theapplication of the back piece, the several pieces when so assembledbeing automatically locked together to form a rectangular frame.

Furthermore my invention contemplates the formation on the inner face ofthe drawer front piece and the adjoining ends of the side pieces ofmortised joints which may be interlocked by a rotary movement of theside pieces to bring them into position at right angles to said frontpiece, in which position they are maintained by fastening to them otherelements of the drawer such as the bottom and/or the usual back piecewhich is suitably attached to their rear ends.

To these and other ends my invention comprehends further improvementsall as will be fully described in the accompanying specification, thenovel features thereof being set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing an edge view of the meetingportions of the front and side pieces of a drawer and illustrating theshapes applied to each for interlocking them in accordance with myinvention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of a completed drawer.

Figure 3 is a, side elevation of a completed drawer.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of a drawer showing the back piece lockedin position on the rear ends of the side pieces.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary views illustrating one form ofdovetail interlocking suitable for securing ends of the back and sidepieces, Figs. 5 and 6 being enlargements of these parts shown in Figs. 3and 4 respectively and Fig. '7 being a sectional view taken on the line'Ix-'Ir of the two former figures.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing another form ofinterlock embodying a tongue and groove mortised connection.

Figures 9 and 10 are diagrammatic detail views illustrating the firstand second steps respectively of forming the mortising joint in thefront piece of a drawer.

Similar reference characters in the several :Iigures indicate similarparts.

In the construction of articles of furniture such as dressers,chiffoniers, high boys, desks and the 1946, Serial No. 675,937

like, the drawers with which they are equipped represent the major partof the cost of construction. Because of the many uses to which drawersare put it is essential that they be strongly built and so constructedthat they present a pleasing appearance, and retain their original shapewithout warping so that they will be free running in their cabinetsthroughout the life of the piece of furniture of which they constitutethe essential part.

In order to meet these several requirements I have devised a drawerconstruction that is adapted to machine construction or shaping of theseveral parts which possesses the further advantage of ready assembly ofsaid parts which may be accomplished without the use of clamps orfastening devices passing through one part into another for securingthem together.

A drawer constructed in accordance with my invention comprises a frontpiece I of given depth and length, two side pieces 2 and 3 of equaldepth and of a prescribed length, and an inner end piece 1i. The bottomof the drawer, indicated by 5, is preferably secured around its fouredges by providing a channeled groove in the inner faces of the fourside walls of the drawer in which its edges are secured as these wallsare assembled, as shown in dotted lines. Also extending in a centralposition between the front I and back I is a guide rail t which Iprovide since in carrying out my invention the sides 2 and 3 are notdepended upon in guiding a drawer in its in and out movements in thecabinet to which it is fitted.

The front piece I is dimensioned as usual to nt a designated opening ina cabinet front. On its inner face at each end a portion thereof is cutaway, as shown in Fig. 1, to form inner recessed steps and angularshoulders rising therefrom, the width of the steps and shape of theshoulders being cut according to the thickness of the side `pieces 2 and3. These steps and shoulders are formed in two.operations as illustratedin Figs. 9 and l0. The rst operation is performed by cutting a groove 'Ito the desired depth using any appropriate tool for the purpose, such asa top tenon head cutter. The bottomof this groove forms the recessedstep indicated by 8 in Fig. l. This grooving operation leaves surplusmaterial, as indicated at S (Fig. 9) and a straight wall Ill in whichlatter I form an undercut to provide a shoulder I I of substantialthickness. In this step of the procedure I use a shaping tool I2, suchas a back scoring or coping head, having avperipheral shape formed toprovide the undercut in wall IU with an inwardly extending inclined faceI3 extending from shoulder I Ito a point beyond the inner edge of therecess or step 8, as indicated at I4. The drawer front piece I ispresented endwise against a stop I5 and moved crosswise yof the 60 toolI2, as will be understood and by this opera- 3 tion the surplus edge 9of the board is removed simultaneously with the formation of shoulder II, undercut I3 and inner shoulder I4. Cutting away the part 9 leaves ashoulder I6 which defines the outer edge of the recess or step 8.

On the inner faces of the outer ends of side pieces 2 and 3 I formcountershapes of the outlines formed by shoulders II, undercut I3 andstep B so that there is a perfect matching when these parts are broughttogether. Thus a side piece has a foot portion I1 and a tongue I8.

As will be seen from inspection of Fig. 1 the shapes given the matchingparts is such that when a side piece is positioned angularly to thefront piece with its foot I'I in the recess 8 the tongue I8 just clearsthe edge of the projection formed by shoulder II. Hence by raising theouter end of the side piece to rotate it into a position at 'rightangles to the front piece its lower outer corner pivots against theshoulder IE and with the parts in the last mentioned position theirseparation is prevented by the interlocking of shoulders I I and I8. Itwill be seen therefore that the two sides of a drawer may be appliedsimultaneously to the opposite ends of a front piece.

Fixing the forward ends of the side pieces permanently is eifected whenthe back piece 4 is applied to their ends. As this also should be apermanent connection I dovetail their extremities and have shown inFigs. 5 to 8 details of suitable formations for these corners. Figs. 5and 6 show a type of dovetailing which has proved satisfactory inservice. In this the wedge shaped tongues I9 on the end piece 4 arerounded on their lower sides and undercut as indicated by 20, as are thecorresponding recesses formed in the ends of the side pieces 2 and 3,the undercutting of the tongues in addition to their wedge formationserving to create a very strong union between the parts preventing anyseparation of the rear ends of the side pieces. Another means which Ihave also employed for accomplishing this purpose is shown in Fig. 8 andcomprises a tongue and groove connection, the tongue 2| being on the endof the side piece and tting a groove on the inner face of the end piece.In whatever fo'rm may be used for attaching these parts it is preferableto leave a marginal strip 22 on the side pieces Zand 3 as acontinuationof their outer faces which overlap the ends of the back piece thusfurnishing perfectly smooth surfaces tothe outer sides of the drawer.

In effecting the end locking feature of a drawer embodying my inventionitwill be observed that I accomplish it by moving the end board 4, whenplaced in operative position, in a direction toward and parallel to thefront piece I. In practice 'the method followed by the cabinet maker inassembling the parts is to first place the front piece I on the assemblybench with its inner face uppermost and the bottom board -5 positionedin its groove thereon. He then takes the two side pieces, one in eachhand, placing their foot portions lin the two recesses 8 and by a rotarymovement bringing them into an upright position causing their outer endsto become interlocked with the front piece and their longitudinalgrooves to embrace the side edges of the bottom board. In 'this positionthe side pieces are secured by applying to their then uppermost ends theend piece 4 4 which is forced into its nal position with a slightdownward movement. During this movement the groove therein also embracesthe remaining edge of bottom 5 so that the latter is supported at eachof its four edges in the finished structure.

As an alternate means of assembly of the drawer frame it will beappreciated that the end board might be fixed to the ends of the sidepieces thus holding said sides in parallelism and causing theirconnection with the front piece by a movement transversely thereon tointerlock the forward ends in the step and grooves of the front p1ece.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of constructing furniture drawer 'frames consisting informing on the ends of the inner face of a drawer front piece and theinner faces of the contiguous ends of the frame side pieces, shouldersand recesses adapted to interlock upon relative rotary movement of theside pieces toward each other, to bring them into a right angle positionon the front piece and subsequently afxing the drawer back piece to therear ends of said side pieces.

2. The method of constructing furniture drawer frames consisting informing' on the ends of the inner face of a drawer front piece a steppedrecess `and an undercut above informing upon each of the inner sides vofthe forward ends of the drawer side pieces foot pieces and projectionscorresponding to said recesses and undercuts, said side pieces adaptedto interlock with the vfront piece when applied "to the front piece inan angular position and rotated into a position at right angles to thefront, forming on the rear ends of said side pieces and on theextremities of a drawer back piece cooperating projections and recessesand subsequently interlocking them to secure the side pieces in theiri'nterlocked relation with the drawer front piece.

3. The method of constructing furniture draw ers consisting in providingdimensioned front, side and rear end frame pieces, and a vrectangularbottom piece, each'of the frame pieces being provided with alongitudinal rabbeted slot on their inner faces for the reception of anedge of said bottom, and forming on the ends of the inner face of thefront piece and the inner faces of the contiguous ends of the sidepieces corresponding Shoulders and recesses adapted to be interlockedupon relative rotary movement of the side pieces toward each other tobring them into a right angular position on the front piece, and'ai'xing to the rear ends of the side vpieces the rear end piece.

PAUL L. VON CANON.

REFERENCES CITED l The following references areof record in the nle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 411,924 Lindelman CCIS. l, 1889434,044 Estay Aug. 12, 1890' 1,159,229 Keith Nov. 2, 1915 1,169,328Holtgrewe Jan. 25, Y1916 2,430,200 Wilson Nov. 4, 1947

